Most food items available for purchase in supermarkets display nutrition components included in the food. Shoppers are increasingly using the nutrition information on food items to determine their food purchases. Conventional shopping systems include shopping carts that display nutrition components of the food on a display device provided in the cart, in order to support the shopper.
Shoppers know that the nutrition balance of the entire meal, rather than nutrition component of each food, is important. A desirable meal, for example, is based on a staple food, a main dish, and a side dish. For this reason, shoppers prefer to purchase food based on the nutrition balance of the entire meal combining the main dish and the side dish. Conventional shopping systems can also check nutrition balance based on a shopper's purchase history. What is needed is a system that allows a shopper to check nutrition balance based on food to be purchased.